Maine Gets a Ticket to Final
Thursday’s Frozen Four semifinal between Boston College and Maine was the fifth meeting between the Hockey East powerhouses this season. Each team won two of the previous games, Boston College scoring 15 goals and Maine 14.
So it’s probably not much of surprise that the score after 60 minutes of regulation and five minutes of sudden-death overtime was 1-1. It’s also no upset that a nifty pass by a player his teammates call “Tricky” and a goal by a player his coach calls “Mr. March” would decide it.
Maine forward Niko Dimitrakos picked up a rebound behind the Boston College net, skated along the boards and, with his back to the net, flipped a backhand pass across the goal mouth to a wide-open Bobby Stewart. Stewart flicked the puck into the net 5 minutes 16 seconds into overtime in front of an announced crowd of 12,583 at the Arrowhead Pond to give the Black Bears a 2-1 victory.
The win lifts Maine (30-6-4) into Saturday’s NCAA final against New Hampshire, which defeated Michigan State, 5-3.
Stewart, who had just come out of the penalty box after serving his second “dumb penalty” of the game, almost lost the puck to teammate Barrett Heisten, who tried to knock down Dimitrakos’ pass. But Heisten’s slight deflection caromed directly onto Stewart’s stick.
“I don’t know whether to thank God or our penalty killers,” said Stewart, who scored two short-handed goals in the Hockey East playoffs last season and has four postseason goals this year. “After that last penalty, I come out of the box envisioning being the guy who would score the winner. I knew Niko would see me and luckily when Barrett hit it, it still went right to me.”
Maine--with seven shots on goal from just outside the crease in the first period--had the most scoring chances early in the game, but the Eagles (27-12-4) took the lead when sophomore Marty Hughes scored on a power play 5:34 into the second period.
Boston College had 47 seconds of a two-man advantage when Maine’s Doug Janik, called for hooking, joined Heisten, off the ice for interference, in the penalty box at 4:14 of the second. But Black Bear goaltender Alfie Michaud made two saves, one a spectacular diving stop, on close-in shots by Mike Mottau. Heisten was back on the ice when Hughes scored from long range, sending a blast from the point just inside the blue line that rocketed under Michaud’s left arm.
Boston College dominated the rest of the second period, and Michaud, who had a .904 save percentage during the regular season, had to make three big saves in the period’s final nine minutes to keep the Black Bears within a goal. He smothered a close-range shot by Andy Powers, who had a clean breakaway, and then made two great stops on point-blank backhands by freshman forward Ales Dolinar.
“It was a game of ebbs and flows, mainly based on power plays,” Maine Coach Shawn Walsh said. “They really put us back on our heels early in the second. But after the period, we talked about how we’ve come from behind to beat them twice this year. You could see a little jump in the guys and we really turned it around.”
Maine, which was 0-6-1 when trailing after two periods, tied the score at 2:34 of the third. Forward Ben Guite skated unmolested down the right wing, slid in behind the Eagles’ net to snatch the puck off the boards and fired a pass out front to Dimitrakos, who slipped the puck past goalie Scott Clemmensen.
The Black Bears had a great chance to go ahead with 6 1/2 minutes left in regulation when they had their sixth power play. Clemmensen was knocked flat during a collision in front of the net just before Janik took a shot from the top of the right faceoff circle. Somehow, Clemmensen was able to snag the puck with his glove while on his back.
GAME 2: New Hampshire beats Michigan State, 5-3, to reach final. Page 5
HELENE ELLIOTT: Southland missing out on college hockey. Page 5